NCP demands scrapping of all Vedant projects in Orissa

Published: Monday, November 26, 2007, 16:09 [IST]

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Bhubaneswar, Nov 26 (UNI) The Orissa unit of the NCP today demanded scrapping all Vedant projects signed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in the wake of Supreme Court's judgment expressing doubt over the credential of the Vedant Aluminium Limited (VAL).

NCP State Coordinator Bijaya Mohapatra told newsmen here that a blacklisted company like VAL should be banned from setting up of any plants in the state.

He also demanded that the MoU signed by the BJP-BJD led Naveen Patnaik government with the VAL for the Alumina and Aluminium plant along with the Vedant University, to be set up over 8000 acres of land on the Puri-Konark marine drive be immediately cancelled.

''The Apex court's judgment denying permission to mine Bauxite rich Niyamgiri hill in Orissa's Kalahandi district, has exposed all the shady agreements the Naveen Patnaik government had signed with the company since 2004,'' Mr Mohapatra said.

Reacting to Mr Patnaik's recent statement to a private TV news channel that the Supreme Court had accepted the government's plea, Mr Mohapatra said the Chief Minister should read the judgment carefully before making such statements.

He said the court had dismissed the prayer of the VAL not on technical ground but questioning the credential of the company.

He further remarked that it was disgraceful that the Chief Minister was still behaving like a 'paid employee' of the Vedant.

Mr Mohapatra also stated that despite the Apex court's judgment, the state government had not taken any action till date to cancel the agreements with the Vedant and alleged that Mr Patnaik was heavily funded by the Vedant during the Panchayat elections in the state.